Thank you, Llywydd. I formally move the motion on this afternoon's order paper.

Nearly a quarter of all children and young people will have some form of additional learning need during their education. The current system of support is based on a model introduced more than 30 years ago and we know it is no longer fit for purpose. For over a decade, reports and reviews have challenged the Government to find a more effective and less adversarial way to ensure that children and young people get the right support and get it quickly, so that they can achieve their full potential. This Bill is the foundation of our ambitious programme to transform the current system. It has been a long time in the making. That's why today, the anniversary of its introduction, is so important; important for this National Assembly, yes, but more importantly, for the hundreds and thousands of young people and families who will benefit from the new additional learning needs system.

Members are aware of 'Education in Wales: Our national mission', our plan for delivering an education system that is a source of national pride and public confidence. Our ALN transformation programme is a key aspect of this and I'm delighted that it has reached this stage. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my predecessors in this and the last Assembly for bringing forward this vital piece of legislation. I'm grateful in particular to the former Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language, Alun Davies, for taking the Bill through the scrutiny stages. It is my privilege to be able to help steer it through its final stages and onto the statute books, and, crucially, towards implementation.

The then Minister said two things at the start of this legislative journey. He said he wanted

'a good Act, and not a quick Bill' and that the Government had no monopoly on good ideas. The events of the last year, as this Bill has progressed, have proved him right on both counts. The Bill is a product of years of co-construction, joint development, engagement, testing and learning, with partners and stakeholders deeply involved and, indeed, often leading the way throughout. When it was introduced a year ago, the Bill was already well considered and supported, but there is no doubt it has benefited from the scrutiny undertaken by this Assembly. 

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank the Chairs, members and staff of the Children, Young People and Education Committee, the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee and the Finance Committee for their diligent consideration, which has strengthened the robustness of the Bill. I also wish to put on record my thanks to the spokespeople of the Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru in particular for their support and challenge. Their contributions have directly benefited the Bill in key areas, including around the role of the health service and the place of the Welsh language in the new system.

I want to quickly mention a very recent development that will require a minor amendment to the Bill when it becomes an Act. Appointments to the Special Educational Needs Tribunal for Wales were not previously part of the Judicial Appointments Commission, which was an oddity. An order made by the UK Government's Ministry of Justice, which came into force on 1 December, remedied that for the first time and that is to be welcomed. As a result, we propose to amend section 91 of the Bill by order. This will remove the agreement role of the Lord Chief Justice and the president. It will bring appointments to the future education tribunal into line and normalise the position, as has been done for SENTW. An agreement has been reached with the UK Government for dealing with this, which in practice is a small, technical issue. 

I want now to focus on the future as we move into a new and exciting phase. The transformation programme is a priority I know we all share. Yesterday, I set out how we intend to implement the Bill and the wider reforms. There will be challenges ahead, but we are in a good place with key delivery partners engaged and supporting us to drive the change. The new transformation leads who'll take up post in the new year will help accelerate the progress up to and beyond 2020.

In closing, Presiding Officer, let me reiterate the real and genuine opportunity we have today. Passing this Bill will represent a huge step towards improving the life chances of our learners with additional learning needs. They may be a minority in our education system, but they have a right to equity in their education, securing successful futures for them, and I know that this is something all of us across this Chamber will want to see.